Tag: Mexican Week

  • Personal Review: The Great British Bake-Off

    I did it – Well, the wife and I did it – We watched all 13 seasons of The Great British Bake-Off, or Show, depending on where you are. That was a lot of baking, and a lot of British culture. We watched the show together on our lunch breaks, so we only got about half an episode done a day. The show has ebbed, and flowed several times, and gone from too serious to too silly a few times as well. In the end, I still enjoy the show, and I will be looking forward to the 14th season which should premiere in September 2023.

    To start with, the first two seasons of Bake-Off are awful, and no offense to the winners, are a slog to get through. The show that became the international hit hadn’t figured out its footing, nor it’s direction yet. It over all feels very American, as conflict is played up more, and it’s also a sort of an educational show – teaching the audience the history of the foods that are being baked. What I did find interesting is that they seemed to have nailed the music from the start, and pretty much have been using the same themes ever since. Luckily, after two seasons of feeling it out, they landed on what worked.

    What worked well, and is very refreshing, is that Bake-Off is still the nicest show on television. For what is basically a reality gameshow, the competitive nature of the contestants are playdown, and good sportsmanship is played up. The bakers are often shown coming to each other’s aid, and cheering each other on when they do well. There are no snide comments, or backhanded compliments displayed. All the bakers are given an opportunity to be shown as decent, friendly people that you enjoy spending time with.

    And that brings me to what makes the show so enjoyable season after season – the bakers. Bake-Off doesn’t go into detail about the bakers lives outside of the tent. Small details are given in the first few episodes, and the final, but outside of that, we are left to form our opinions about the bakers based on their bakes, and how they behave in the tent. There are no political discussions, nothing about sports or religion. Any subject matter that could divide people is avoided. We get twelve people who just want to bake. And for that, I am impressed with the casting of this show. Not only have the producers continually found charming and interesting people season after season, but they have also done an excellent job of showing Britain as a modern multi-cultural society, where everyone gets along and respects each other. In it’s very subtle way, this show whispers in our ear that we actually do have more in common than what divides us.

    Looking back at the UK ratings, Season 7 was their all-time high, with Season 6 being the runner up, which makes sense as Bake-Off was in the middle of their “salad days” at this point. I would argue that if you are going start watching the show, Season 5 to 9 is the run you want to partake in. This is especially impressive as starting with Season 8, the show undertook a radical change with the switching of broadcast channels, losing Mary Berry who was replaced with Prue Leith, and then the hosts Mel and Sue were replaced with Noel and Sandi. What could have been a stumble instead was a seamless continuation of the show.

    And with that switch in judge and hosts, I am torn. For one, though I do enjoy Prue as judge along with Paul Hollywood, they seem to be a team that “gets along” with respect of judging bakes. Mary Berry had a steeliness to her, where she had no issue with disagreeing with Paul, and digging in if he disagreed with her. It was the only time in the show where there could be tension between personalities, and it worked for the show. As for the hosts, I wasn’t a fan of Mel and Sue. They are two very funny comedians outside of the show, but in the tent they often pulled attention away from the bakers and the bakes by trying to be funny, or ending everything with a pun or a button. My preferred team was Noel and Sandi, but Sandi especially. They made a good “odd couple” paring, but what made them work was Sandi connection to the bakers. She came across more as a friend than a host as when she would talk bakers down from a cliff, or encourage them to continue on. And when Sandi had to announce who wouldn’t be coming back next week, and she would get choked up and cry, it felt like that was coming from an honest place in her. Noel did come around to Sandi’s level of connection, but when she left after Season 10, her replacement of Matt had rather big shoes to fill, no pun intended. What had worked in the past was the classic comedy pairing of straight man and wild card, but with Matt and Noel it was two wildcards which pulled attention away from the bakers. And Matt relied quite heavily on “Paul’s a mean guy” jokes. Entering Season 14, we will get a new co-host in Alison Hammond, and we’ll see how her and Noel get on.

    But when you go through thirteen seasons, you do start to see where some things have gone slightly off the rails. I point directly at Season 9, which also happens to be my personal favorite season. This was the moment when the show started moving toward more gimmick baking – just crazy shit to see how the bakers handle it. This was the season that had a biscuit chandelier which a baker pointed out wasn’t a thing, and made up for the show. Also, in the final episode, the three bakers had to “bake” on a camp fire outside of the tent. A stunt that has never been repeated, and for clear reasons as the bakers didn’t do well, and their annoyance was clearly visible. In earlier seasons, the bakers were asked to create bakes that were based on actually oven bakes, or techniques that revolved around baking. After Season 9, more and more gimmicks or “theme” weeks came into play, which didn’t add anything to the show. This finally blew up in the shows face with Season 13’s “Mexican Week,” which Tejal Rao criticized as “casually racist,” while I was confused why the bakers were making “tack-o’s?” It was a misstep on a show that should have known better.

    What I hope will happen in Season 14 is that Bake-Off sticks to what works, which is casting interesting people from the UK who love baking. And I also hope they get back to what has worked; letting the bakers bake – no more gimmicks. Because at the end of the day, what I look forward to in Bake-Off is an hour of comfort food television; I don’t have to think too hard, there is no one to root against, and I get the celebrate someone who is good at what they do.

  • Personal Review: The Great British Baking Show Season 13

    During the Pandemic, we were limited on shows we could binge watch as a family. Our daughter was five at the time, and I had reached my limit with how many times I could marathon through all the seasons of Doc McStuffins. My wife, in a stroke of brilliance, brought “The Great British Baking Show” (or “The Great British Bake Off” in the UK) to our attention.

    At the time, back in 2020, I believe that Netflix was carrying Season 4 through 10, and we tried to regulate our intake of the program by just watching one episode a day. Within three months, we had made it through all the episodes, which created a powerful anticipation for season 11. In fact, we still eagerly await each new season, as it is one of the few shows everyone in our family can agree on.

    Clearly I have opinions, as why else would I be writing this. I prefer Mary Berry, and that is not a knock against Prue Leith. The show tries to make Paul Hollywood the “bad guy,” and he can be very critical, but he really does champion the contestants, and encourages them to do their best. As for the hosts; give me Noel and Sandi. Every other combination is just annoying. But what makes the show for me are the contestants and, most importantly, the baking challenges.  

    What makes The Great British Bake Off so addictive for me is that it is the anti-reality show, or anti-gameshow, depending how you categorize it. Here, the contestants are shown becoming friends, supporting each other, in some cases even helping each other finish a challenge. Sure, competition will naturally create a winner and a loser, but GBBO makes the point of showing the good sportsmanship of celebrating each weeks Star Baker, and also showing the sadness and disappointment all the contestants feel when someone is sent home. One of the best parts about the show is at the end of the final episode when the contestants are shown as friends hanging out with each other, visiting, and baking together.

    Now, I’m not completely naïve, as this is a television program, and things are edited and shown in a way to get a certain reaction from the audience. I am sure the way I react to the show is the desired outcome. So, I have to ask myself: Do all the bakers become friends? Do they all stay close, and visit each other? Maybe not, but I really want to believe that they do. I want to believe that a bunch of complete strangers, who normally would have nothing to do with each other, as they are so different from one another, actually would find common ground with baking, and that could be the launching pad for great and enduring friendships to be forged.

    Which bring us to our current season; Season 13. Unlucky 13. Yes, GBBO is starting to show some cracks in the veneer. What is cracking is the bake challenges. The bakes were always the strong tent pole that the rest of the show was built around. From asking the bakers to make brownies, which they all failed miserable at, to the legendary “Bread Lion” that even Paul admitted would have tested his skills to recreate. The bakes were the great equalizer of the show, and not necessarily between contestants, but between contestants and audience. The contestants are home/amateur bakers, so there is always that little tiny feeling, though wildly incorrect, that I could bake that. Sadly, Season 13 has lost sight of what makes a good bake.

    The much maligned, and rightfully so, Mexican Week was the final straw. What did making, as Paul would say, “tack-o’s” have to do with baking? And a very simple Google search would show you that a tres leches cake is not meant to be stacked. AND conchas are meant to be dry. This basic lack of understanding of what makes Mexican baking delicious and exquisite, is such an unforced error of the show not doing its homework, that it is almost unforgivable.

    Yet, looking back on past seasons, a stumble like this was foreshadowed. There was Season 11’s Babka challenge, which sadly showed that the judges weren’t fully aware of what they were judging. And if you really examine the show, you can see that Season 9’s Final Technical Challenge of campfire pita bread was a meaningless gimmick, that had nothing to do with baking, didn’t test the contestants, and set them up to fail. For a show that had consistently put their contestants in situations which were challenging, but ultimately, allowed the bakers to excel, the pita bread incident seemed rather meanspirited.

    Hope is not lost for GBBO, as they can right the ship. First, don’t change what is working; Paul and Prue make a good team of judges, so leave that alone. Also, the casting for the show has remained wonderful by bringing in a wide range of ages, and people who make up the modern multicultural UK. As for changes, it might be time for Matt Lucas to go, as he seems to be annoying the bakers more than being their supporter. And finally, the show should get back to classic bakes, and ditch the “theme weeks.” You know; cakes, biscuits, bread, deserts, chocolate, pastry, patisserie. Test the bakers skills, and don’t try to throw them off with stunts.

    I can say this, even if GBBO doesn’t change, I’m still going to watch it. There is still a wide gulf between to GBBO and the host of faked competition baking shows that dot the landscape which seemed geared to celebrate conflict rather than skill. I will say this; GBBO did have a positive effect on our family, as my wife and daughter started baking together. As we get closer to Thanksgiving, they will set about making a Sheppard’s pie, and most assuredly, my daughter knows to check for a soggy bottom on that bake.

    (Wow! This was a long one! But you made it to the end. If I could ask one more favor of you; please take a moment to like, comment, share, or follow this blog. If I could, I would give you a handshake for it.)